Vehicle equipment console

ABSTRACT

An equipment console for use in a vehicle having a driver compartment including a dashboard, floor and driver seat. The equipment console has a console body for supporting equipment in a location accessible to a person seated in the driver seat. The front of the console body includes a front portion configured to receive and support the equipment. The console body also has a back generally opposite the front of the console body. The back of the console body may be integrated with the dashboard by providing the back with a profile that conforms at least partially to a contour of the dashboard. In addition, the console body may be adapted to cover an area of the dashboard in which climate controls were originally installed, with an upper portion of the console body being adapted to receive and secure the climate controls in a relocated position so that they may be operated from the front of the console body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/213,279, filed Aug. 5, 2002, which is a continuation of andclaims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/658,822, filedSep. 8, 2000, issued Aug. 6, 2002 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,072.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to an equipment console that may bemounted within a vehicle driver compartment to support equipment in alocation easily accessible to a driver of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Police officers, public safety officers, firefighters, paramedicsand the like carry various types of equipment in their vehicles. Severalpieces of equipment are often carried in a single vehicle, and thedriver often needs to operate the equipment while simultaneously drivingthe vehicle. Thus, various devices exist to secure multiple pieces ofequipment within a vehicle so that they are accessible to the driverand/or other persons in the vehicle driver compartment.

[0004] These devices commonly include a hollow rectangular box situatedon the floor of the vehicle between the driver seat and front passengerseat, including a horizontal top portion having an upward-facing openingfor receiving pieces of equipment. Police cruisers, for example, arecommonly fitted with equipment boxes of this type. The boxes are used tohouse various types of equipment and controls used by police officers,such as radios, siren controls and light bar controls. Typically, theboxes are sized and positioned so that most of the box extends betweenthe driver seat and the front seat. Only a small portion, if any, of thebox will extend forward toward the dashboard beyond the driver seat andfront passenger seat. In some police cruisers, the equipment box extendsall the way back to the prisoner partition separating the rear seatingarea from the driver compartment. A laptop computer is often positionedbetween the box and dashboard, and is secured to the vehicle floor withvarious types of mounting hardware.

[0005] Systems employing the conventional equipment box described abovesuffer from a number of problems associated with the position of the boxwithin the vehicle driver compartment. First, the box is located to theside of the driver, instead of to the front of the driver near thedashboard. This requires the driver to rotate their upper body and reachback slightly to operate equipment housed in the box. The housedequipment is also well out of the driver's line of sight, requiring thedriver to look over and down between the seats to see the equipment andcontrols mounted in the box. This is particularly a problem in vehicleshaving sirens and light bars, as the controls for these devicestypically have several buttons and switches.

[0006] In addition, the location of the conventional equipment box caninterfere with movements of the driver and passengers, and with theoperation and storage of other equipment. For example, in a policecruiser, the area between the front seats immediately in front of theprisoner partition is often used to store a shotgun. The conventionalequipment box configuration described above makes it more difficult tostore and remove a shotgun from this area. The configuration also limitsspace between the seats that otherwise would be available to store othertypes of equipment, such as a flashlight, flashlight charger, cellphone, etc. Finally, the box and the equipment mounted to the box canobstruct arm movement of the driver and front seat passenger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention provides a vehicle equipment console foruse in a vehicle driver compartment having a dashboard, floor and driverseat. The equipment console includes a console body for supportingequipment in a location accessible to a driver seated in the driverseat. The console body includes a front portion configured to receiveand support the equipment, and a back generally opposite the frontportion. The back of the console body may be integrated with thedashboard by shaping the back of the console body to have a profile thatconforms at least partially to a contour of the dashboard. The consolebody may also be configured to cover an area of the dashboard in whichclimate controls were originally installed, with an upper portion of theconsole body being adapted to receive and secure the climate controls ina relocated position so that they may be operated from the front of theconsole body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0008]FIG. 1 is a view of a driver compartment of a vehicle, includingan equipment console according to the present invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a console body included with theequipment console shown in FIG. 1.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a front view of the console body shown in FIG. 2.

[0011]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the console body shown in FIG. 2.

[0012]FIGS. 5A and 5B are isometric views of a floor plate included withthe equipment console shown in FIG. 1.

[0013]FIG. 6 is a view of the driver compartment shown in FIG. 1,including an alternate embodiment of an equipment console according tothe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014]FIG. 1 depicts a vehicle driver compartment 10 in which anequipment console 12 according to the present invention is installed.Equipment console 12 typically is provided as an aftermarket unit thatmay easily be retrofitted to driver compartment 10. Equipment consolemay be configured for installation into virtually any type of vehicle,though it is particularly useful when installed in vehicles used bypolice and public safety officers, firefighters and the like. This isdue to the extensive amount of electronic and other equipment normallycarried in these vehicles. For purposes of illustration only, equipmentconsole 12 will be described in the context of a police cruiser.

[0015] As seen in FIG. 1, equipment console 12 includes a console body14 situated generally in a central region of vehicle driver compartment10 in the space between dashboard 16 and the front edges of driver seat18 and front passenger seat 20. Console body 14 is configured so thatmultiple pieces of equipment 22 may be mounted to a front region 24 ofthe console body. Equipment 22 may include a radio, siren controls,light bar controls, and various other types of equipment used in policecruisers. Console 12 is configured so that equipment 22 is easilyaccessible to persons seated in driver seat 18 and passenger seat 20.Console 12 uses a minimum amount of space within driver compartment 10,and thus does not interfere with driver and passenger movements, or withthe storage and operation of other equipment within the vehicle drivercompartment.

[0016]FIG. 2 is an isometric view showing side and back portions ofconsole body 14, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the console body. Asshould be appreciated from FIGS. 1-3, console body 14 may variously bethought of as a box, rack, case or frame for supporting equipment suchas equipment 22. The console body is typically formed from 16-gaugecold-rolled steel, but may be made from a variety of other materials, asdesired. In addition to front 24, console body 14 typically includessides 26 and 28, top 30, bottom 32 (FIG. 4) and back 34. When installedas shown in FIG. 1, the console body and portions of driver compartment10 cooperate to at least partially enclose a hollow interior region 36of the console body. Hollow interior 36 is best seen with reference toFIG. 2.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, front 24 includes an opening 38 whichcommunicates with hollow interior region 36, and through which equipment22 may be received for mounting to the console body. Mounting structuresin the form of elongate mounting flanges 40 are provided on front 24adjacent opening 38. Flanges 40 are provided with a number of holes tofacilitate mounting of equipment 22 to the front of the console bodywith bolts, screws or other suitable fasteners.

[0018] As seen in FIG. 1, equipment 22, once mounted on console body 14,covers opening 38 and extends at least partially into hollow interiorregion 36 enclosed by the console body. The front faces of equipment 22define a generally planar instrument panel that may be operated from thefront of the console body. When console body 14 is mounted withinvehicle driver compartment 10, the front of the console body andinstrument panel are generally vertical, but tilted slightly towarddashboard 16 so that they face upward for easy viewing and operation bypersons seated in seats 18 and 20. Typically, the front of the consolebody is angled no more than 45 degrees away from a completely verticalorientation, though it may be angled further, and may even be completelyhorizontal.

[0019] As seen in FIG. 1, console body 14 is configured to cover an area16 a of dashboard 16 which would normally house variousfactory-installed climate controls (heat, fans, air conditioning, etc.).In the depicted equipment console, however, factory-installed climatecontrol panel 50 has been pulled out of dashboard 16, threaded throughthe console body, and relocated on the front of the console body. Thefront of console body 14 includes an upper opening 52 (FIG. 3) that isspecially sized to permit mounting of climate control panel 50 adjacentopening 52. When relocated to the depicted position, the climatecontrols may be operated from the front of the console body. The back ofthe console body includes a protruding tab 54 (FIG. 2) configured toextend into the dashboard where the climate control panel was originallyinstalled. Tab 54 aids in securing the console body in a fixed positionrelative to the dashboard and interior of the vehicle.

[0020] Console body 14 preferably is sized to be compact and is situatedclose to dashboard 16. Sides 26 and 28 extend parallel to each otherbetween front 24 and back 34 of console body 14, and are dimensioned sothat the depth of the unit, as measured from back 34 to front 24, is nogreater than necessary to accommodate equipment 22. Not only is depthminimized, but the console body is also situated in a forward positionso that back 34 of console body is close to, or in contact with aportion of dashboard 16. As seen in FIG. 1, no part of the console bodyextends beyond the mounting hardware (e.g., seat mounting bolt 18 a)used to secure seats 18 and 20 to the floor. In this configuration, theconsole body normally will not extend beyond the front edges of theseats unless they are adjusted to an extreme forward position. If theconsole body does extend away from the dashboard to occupy some of thespace between the seats, it is normally desirable that this beminimized. Sides 26 and 28 are similarly spaced by front 24 of theconsole body to accommodate equipment 22 while minimizing the width ofthe console body. Equipment console 12 typically rests on the floor ofthe vehicle, and the position of dashboard 16 relative to floor 17therefore governs the height of the console body, as measured betweentop 30 and bottom 32.

[0021] As will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, back 34of console body 14 may be integrated with dashboard 16 by closelyspacing the console body from the dashboard and conforming a portion ofthe console body to the shape of the dashboard. Back 34 of the consolebody is defined by back edges 30 a, 26 a, 28 a and 32 a of the sidewallmembers that form top 30, sides 26 and 28, and bottom 32 of the consolebody. A portion of the back is provided with a profile so that, wheninstalled, the console body conforms to a portion of dashboard 16. Thisis achieved by shaping or forming back edges 26 a and 28 a so that thecontour of each edge at least partly follows the contour of thedashboard. More particularly, edge 28 a is positioned near the dashboardon the passenger side of compartment in a region adjacent glovebox door16 b. Edge 28 a is formed with a profile, or contour, that conforms tothat portion of the dashboard. Edge 26 a is similarly configured toconform to a portion of dashboard 16 on the driver side. As should beappreciated from FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle dashboard may have anirregular cross section including curved portions, and the cross sectionmay vary along the length of the dashboard. Thus, conforming the back ofconsole body 14 to the dashboard may result in edges 26 a and 28 a beingshaped differently to have different profiles, as seen in FIG. 2.

[0022] As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, console body 14 is generallywedge-shaped, with sides 26 and 28 generally tapering toward top 30 suchthat the depth of the console body is greater at bottom 32. This is duein part to the tilted configuration of the front face of the consolebody. In addition, the lower portions of sides 26 and 28 are sized toextend underneath the dashboard, as seen in FIG. 1. This furtherintegrates equipment console 12 with the dashboard and encloses andconceals wiring associated with equipment 22.

[0023] A number of advantages result from the compact construction ofconsole body 14 and its position close to dashboard 16. In general, thisconfiguration leaves the space between seats 18 and 20 free for otheruses and allows for more efficient use of space within vehicle drivercompartment 10. Unlike conventional equipment boxes, which are mountedbetween the seats, equipment console 12 does not restrict arm movementof the driver and front seat passenger. Shotguns, rifles, flashlights,portable loudspeakers, telephones and various other equipment may bestored in the space between the seats and operated without obstructionor interference from equipment console 12.

[0024] Equipment mounted in console body 14 also is clearly visible andeasily accessible to persons seated in seats 18 and 20. The front faceof the console body is generally vertical, but is angled toward thedashboard so that the instrument panel defined by equipment 22 facesupward toward seats 18 and 20. Typically, the front face is angled sothat every point along the height of console front 24, as measured fromtop 30 to bottom 32, is approximately the same distance from thedriver's eyes. Also the front of the instrument panel is close to thedriver's line of sight when driving, particularly relative to the spacebetween seats 18 and 20, where conventional equipment boxes areinstalled. The driver need only glance slightly downward to the right toview the equipment mounted in the console body. Also, the console bodyis close to the steering wheel, allowing the driver to easily reach overa short distance to operate equipment 22. Unlike with the conventionalequipment box mounted between the seats, equipment console 12 allowsequipment 22 to be easily viewed and operated by the driver withoutsubstantial upper body and head movements.

[0025] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 4, 5A and 5B, a device and method formounting console body 14 in vehicle compartment 10 will be described. Asseen in FIGS. 1 and 5A, a floor plate 70 extends between the driver seatand front passenger seat, and is positioned so that end 70 a ispositioned underneath and fastened to console body 14. Floor plate 70includes a generally planar body having a number of elongate slots 70 b,and mounting legs 70 c that may be secured in various desired locationsalong the length of the body. Floor plate 70 is mounted within vehiclecompartment 10 by fastening ends 70 d of the mounting legs to thevehicle floor using the factory-installed mounting hardware (e.g., seatmounting bolt 18A) that secure seats 18 and 20 to the floor.

[0026] Console body 14 is mounted within the vehicle by aligning anelongate slot 80 formed on bottom 32 of the console body (FIG. 4) withone set of the elongate slots provided on the body of floor plate 70.The console body and floor plate are then secured together via thealigned slots with a suitable fastener. In the embodiment depicted inFIG. 1, console body 14 is secured in place only by floor plate 70 andtab 54; no other fastening mechanism is used. Additional fasteners maybe provided as desired, however, to further secure equipment consolewithin vehicle compartment 10.

[0027] As revealed by the alternately configured floor plate 90 shown inFIG. 5B, the floor plate may be formed in a variety of differentlengths. Longer floor plates may be formed to extend between the seatsall the way to the prisoner partition, providing a surface for mountingand/or storing other equipment. Alternatively, space between the seatsmay be left uncovered by using a short floor plate, such as thatdepicted in FIG. 5B. As a further alternative, the floor plate may beomitted altogether, and the mounting legs shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B maybe modified to attach directly to the bottom of the console body.

[0028] Referring now to FIG. 6, another embodiment of an equipmentconsole according to the present invention is shown, having analternately configured console body 114. Console body 114 is similar tothe console body described with reference to FIGS. 1-4, except that itis configured to be installed without relocating the factory-installedclimate control panel 50. To achieve this, top portion 130 of consolebody 114 is modified from the previously described configuration so thatit abuts dashboard 16 just below climate control panel 50. Equipmentconsole 114 thus permits free access to climate controls in theiroriginal factory-installed location in the dashboard. The depictedconfiguration also simplifies installation by eliminating the need torelocate climate control panel 50.

[0029] While the present invention has been particularly shown anddescribed with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, thoseskilled in the art will understand that many variations may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined in the following claims. The description of the invention shouldbe understood to include all novel and non-obvious combinations ofelements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or alater application to any novel and non-obvious combination of theseelements. The foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no singlefeature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may beclaimed in this or a later application. Where the claims recite “a” or“a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such claims should beunderstood to include incorporation of one or more such elements,neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.

I claim:
 1. An equipment console for use in a vehicle driver compartmenthaving a dashboard, floor and driver seat, the equipment consolecomprising: a console body for supporting equipment in a locationaccessible to a driver seated in the driver seat, the console bodyhaving: a front, including a mounting frame configured to receive andsupport the equipment; and a back generally opposite the front, the backhaving a profile that conforms at least partially to a contour of thedashboard, where the console body covers an area of the dashboard inwhich climate controls were originally installed, and where an upperportion of the console body is adapted to receive and secure the climatecontrols in a relocated position so that they may be operated from thefront of the console body.
 2. The equipment console of claim 1, wherethe console body further includes two sides that are spaced from eachother by the front of the console body and that each extend from thefront of the console body toward the back of the console body.
 3. Theequipment console of claim 2, where the two sides are each formed as asidewall having a back edge that partly defines the back of the consolebody.
 4. The equipment console of claim 3, where the dashboard has anirregular cross section including curves, and where the back edges ofthe sidewalls are shaped to at least partially conform to the crosssection of the dashboard.
 5. The equipment console of claim 4, where thecross section of the dashboard changes along a length of the dashboard,such that a first one of the back edges of the sidewalls is shapeddifferently than a second one of the back edges of the sidewalls.
 6. Theequipment console of claim 1, where the dashboard has an irregular crosssection including curves, and where the back of the console body isshaped to at least partially conform to the cross section of thedashboard.
 7. The equipment console of claim 1, where the back of theconsole body includes a protruding tab configured to extend into thearea of the dashboard in which the climate controls were originallyinstalled.
 8. The equipment console of claim 1, where the back of theconsole body is positioned so that it contacts or is closely spaced froma central portion of the dashboard, while permitting free access toclimate controls in an original factory-installed location of theclimate controls on the dashboard.
 9. The equipment console of claim 1,where the front of the console body is generally vertical, but is angledtoward the dashboard so that the front of the console body faces upwardtoward a person seated in the driver seat.
 10. The equipment console ofclaim 1, further comprising a floor plate mounted within the vehicledriver compartment so that the floor plate extends adjacent the floorbetween the driver seat and a passenger seat included in the vehicledriver compartment, where a front end of the floor plate is secured to abottom of the console body.
 11. An aftermarket equipment console for usein a vehicle driver compartment having a dashboard, floor and driverseat, the equipment console comprising: a console body configured foraftermarket installation into a vehicle, the console body having: afront configured to receive and support multiple pieces of equipment sothat front faces of the pieces of equipment define a generally planarinstrument panel operable from the front of the console body; and a backshaped to integrate the equipment console with the dashboard, where theconsole body is proportioned so that, when the console body is installedin the vehicle, the instrument panel is located entirely forward ofmounting hardware used to secure the driver seat to the floor.
 12. Theaftermarket equipment console of claim 11, where the dashboard has anirregular cross section, and where the back of the console body isshaped to at least partially conform to the cross section of thedashboard.
 13. The aftermarket equipment console of claim 11, where thedashboard has an irregular cross section including curves, and where theback of the console body includes two elongate edge portions shaped toat least partially conform to the cross section of the dashboard. 14.The aftermarket equipment console of claim 13, where the irregular crosssection of the dashboard changes along a length of the dashboard, suchthat a first one of the elongate edge portions is shaped differentlythan a second one of the elongate edge portions.
 15. The aftermarketequipment console of claim 11, where: the console body further includestwo spaced sidewalls that extend generally parallel to each otherbetween the front and back of the console body; and the front, back andsidewalls of the console body partly define a generally wedge-shapedcase including a shallow top and a deeper bottom, depth being measuredbetween the front and back of the console body.
 16. The aftermarketequipment console of claim 15, where the dashboard has an irregularcross section, and where the sidewalls of the console body each includea back edge that conforms to the cross section of the dashboard.
 17. Theaftermarket equipment console of claim 11, where the console body coversan area of the dashboard in which climate controls were originallyinstalled, and where the console body is adapted to receive and securethe climate controls in a relocated position so that the climatecontrols are operable from the front of the console body.
 18. Theaftermarket equipment console of claim 17, where the back of the consolebody includes a protruding tab configured to extend into the area of thedashboard in which the climate controls were originally installed. 19.The aftermarket equipment console of claim 11, where the back of theconsole body is positioned so that it contacts or is closely spaced froma central portion of the dashboard, while permitting free access toclimate controls in an original factory-installed location of theclimate controls on the dashboard.
 20. The aftermarket equipment consoleof claim 11, where the front of the console body is shaped so that, whenthe console body is installed in the vehicle driver compartment, theinstrument panel is generally vertical but angled toward the dashboardso that the instrument panel faces upward toward a person seated in thedriver seat.
 21. An equipment console for use in a vehicle drivercompartment having a dashboard, floor and driver seat, the equipmentconsole comprising: a generally wedge-shaped equipment case integratedwith and extending outward from the dashboard, the equipment caseincluding: a front configured to receive and support multiple pieces ofequipment so that front faces of the pieces of equipment define agenerally planar instrument panel operable from the front of theequipment case; and two sides spaced from each other and extendingparallel to each other from the front of the equipment case, the sideseach including an elongate back edge portion generally opposite thefront of the equipment case, where each elongate edge portion is shapedto conform to a cross section of the dashboard, where the equipment caseis proportioned so that the instrument panel is entirely forward ofmounting hardware used to secure the driver seat to the floor, and wherethe equipment case covers an area of the dashboard in which climatecontrols were originally installed, an upper portion of the equipmentcase being adapted to receive and secure the climate controls in arelocated position so that the climate controls are operable from thefront of the console body.
 22. An automobile, comprising: a drivercompartment having a dashboard, floor and driver seat; and a consoleinstalled in the driver compartment and having a console body forsupporting equipment in a location accessible to a driver seated in thedriver seat, the console body having: a front, including a mountingframe configured to receive and support the equipment; and a backgenerally opposite the front, the back having a profile that conforms atleast partially to a contour of the dashboard, where the console bodycovers an area of the dashboard in which climate controls wereoriginally installed, and where an upper portion of the console body isadapted to receive and secure the climate controls in a relocatedposition so that they may be operated from the front of the consolebody.